French Open, Quarterfinals: Comeback kids

It was bizarre, exciting, baffling, entertaining, amusing and sometimes awesome.

Paul Crocetti Waltham News Tribune @WalthamNewsTrib

It was bizarre, exciting, baffling, entertaining, amusing and sometimes awesome.

Just by looking at the score of Andy Murray’s win over Gael Monfils (6-4 6-1 4-6 1-6 6-1) in the French Open quarterfinals, you can tell this was a strange one.

Murray put on a clinic in the first two sets, showing off some strong offense and taking it to Monfils. The crowd was trying hard to get into it for the Frenchman but at the end of the second, it looked pretty hopeless.

Still, props to the crowd for sticking with its man and really helping him get back into this one. And when Murray went away in the fourth, it looked like the match would be continued the next day because of fading light. Surprisingly, they played on, even though it didn’t seem like there was enough time to get in a fifth set. But out of nowhere, Monfils was the one who went away in the fifth and Murray took it to him again. Murray was never losing in the match, but it certainly felt like he was towards the end of that fourth set.

In the opposite way, Rafael Nadal was losing in his match against David Ferrer, down one set to none, but you still never feel like he’s going to lose at the French Open. Not only did he win, but he dropped a mere five games in the next three sets. We’re still on course for a Nadal-Novak Djokovic final, as the Serb takes on Ernests Gulbis in the other semifinal.

Maria Sharapova was also down a set in her match against rising star Garbine Muguruza. And she lost the first badly, 6-1. But Sharapova is as good as anyone in turning her performance around, even after a very rough start. Thankfully, tennis allows you to have a terrible first set, if you’re able to reverse course mentally and physically, and Sharapova is so strong in that respect.

Sharapova will have a real test in the semifinals in Eugenie Bouchard, a young star who has had a number of strong wins this tournament. But there’s one major advantage that Sharapova has over her and the other two players (Simona Halep and Andrea Petkovic) in the semifinals – she’s the only one left who’s won a major.